Families living in part of Warwickshire should get an apology over controversial "savings" by a district council, it has been claimed.

Conservative and Independent councillors on Warwick District Council are angry at measures being taken to prevent a predicted £350,000 over-spend on this year's budget.

These include an increase in fees and charges, such as those for the district's three leisure centres being introduced two months earlier than expected.

It also means officers have had to find £300,000 of savings. These were taken from 37 departments and include £1,000 from the disability programme and £10,000 from not repairing vandalised play equipment.

The decision was taken by the council's executive committee, made up of Labour and Lib Dem councillors.

But Cllr Michael Coker (Con, Kenilworth Abbey) told the committee it should apologise to tax payers.

He said: "There are no savings, they are cuts.

"How can not repairing vandalised play equipment be called a saving?

"The executive committee is indicating it is in control and pleased about it.

"It has found the problem and doing something about it.

"Well, it is doing something about it but with other people's money.

"We should have a little humility in relation-ship to this."

But executive chairman Bob Crowther (Lab, Clarendon) refuted this saying: "We are able to take action to reduce the problem rather than end up at the end of the year with an overspend.